Shop Report

For the shop report each group had to select a brand which is currently under performing. Our group had decided to look at Urban Outfitters. The Urban Outfitters we looked at was located on Oxford Street. It has been in the news quite often recently, but not really for anything it would want to celebrate. Now Urban Outfitters has suffered a major blow, shares for Urban Outfitters have dropped to its lowest levels in two and a half years. During our visit I took photos from inside the store, finding out what is going wrong with the brand...

Ambience & Visual Merchandising

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the photographs I have taken these show an overall ambience of the shop. The store has a Concrete grunge feel to it. Filled with retro signs clearly telling you which way each department is. There is great lighting and it always seems to be kept tidy well. I don't think there are any bad point about the shop layout and the way the present there merchandise within the shop overall seems to be presented in a good way. 

 

 

Branding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking at the branding techniques, I found that the brands within the shop are clearly sign posted. The mannequin presented outfits need better lighting as they seem to be a dim light. All the hangers are wooden, the swing tags state clearly how much everything costs and what size it is. Although I would say most of the garments in here are quite pricy for what you buy. Urban Outfitters desperately needs to learn how to appeal to an older demographic again because right now, its products are too expensive for the type of customers it's attracting.

 

Key Shapes/Fabrics & Prints

 

 

 

 

Shapes: I noticed a lot of draped tops and dresses throughout the store. There were also a lot of oversized coats and tops throughout the shop. Denim skinny, flared and straight shape trousers.

Trends/Prints: A key trend that I had seen a lot of throughout the shop was American vintage sportswear. Black and white Line prints, sports Logos, and big numbers printed on the front/back of plain white tops. I feel that this trend has been around for some time now, there needs to be a more fashion forward/creative approach to sportswear that Urban Outfitters should start moving forward with.

Fabrics: The majority of the coats were made from polyester. The tops were mainly cotton/polyester.

The changing facilities still had the retro feel from throughout the shop. With plain wooden doors, large mirrors with great lighting and wooden rail holders. 

They were very clean and tidy. The layout and design of the changing rooms were very consistent with a great vintage feel...

From my shop report information I have gathered together, I feel that Urban Outfitters is a store that has a very kitschy appearance that relies on customers stumbling upon quirky items. Urban Outfitters clothes are aimed more towards the teenage market. Sure the teenage market isn't a bad one to be in. High Street retailers such as H&M and Forever 21 do very well among this demographic and also attract customers in Urban Outfitters' desired older age range. But if Urban Outfitters wants a chance of competing with them, it needs to sell more affordable items beyond just its sale section.